diff --git a/base/util-linux/util-linux.conf b/base/util-linux/util-linux.conf
index 9b92a2a04..fe9b6c359 100644
--- a/base/util-linux/util-linux.conf
+++ b/base/util-linux/util-linux.conf
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ hook_add premake 5 'touch aclocal.m4'
 if atstage cross; then
 	# cannot run test program while cross compiling
 	var_append configcache ' ' "scanf_cv_type_modifier=ms"
+	var_append configcache ' ' "scanf_cv_alloc_modifier=no"
 fi
 
 # 'for' loop initial declarations are only allowed in C99 mode
diff --git a/base/util-linux/util-linux.desc b/base/util-linux/util-linux.desc
index 9921aa9bd..c8827528f 100644
--- a/base/util-linux/util-linux.desc
+++ b/base/util-linux/util-linux.desc
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 
 [L] GPL
 [S] Stable
-[V] 2.20.1
+[V] 2.21
 [P] X -1-3-----9 179.200
 
-[D] 4065466428 util-linux-2.20.1.tar.bz2 http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/util-linux/v2.20/
+[D] 2320114565 util-linux-2.21.tar.bz2 http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/util-linux/v2.21/